Forget the Cybertruck. Forget the Model S. According to tech investor and Elon Musk associate Jason Calacanis, Tesla, Inc. is about to unleash a product so significant it will render its entire automotive history a footnote.
Speaking on the All-In Podcast, Calacanis dropped a bombshell after claiming to have witnessed a private demonstration of the unannounced Optimus Gen 3 humanoid robot. “I saw Optimus 3. I can tell you now: nobody will remember that Tesla ever made a car,” he stated. “It is going to be the most transformative technology product ever made in the history of humanity… I believe there will be a one-to-one ratio of humans to Optimus, and I think Elon’s already won.” This is, to put it mildly, a rather bullish take, especially considering the most advanced public demo of its predecessor, Optimus Gen 2, involved handling an egg and folding a t-shirt with the grace of a sleepy toddler.
Calacanis’s comments paint a picture of a company quietly perfecting a world-beater while competitors are merely “in the arena.” That arena, however, is getting crowded and fierce. Figure AI has already signed a commercial agreement to deploy its humanoids in BMW manufacturing facilities in the US. Meanwhile, Boston Dynamics recently retired its hydraulic Atlas in favor of a terrifyingly flexible all-electric version designed for real-world industrial tasks. These companies are actively shipping bots and signing deals, while Tesla’s progress has remained largely behind closed doors since its last public update.
Why is this important?
Whether this is a calculated hype-building exercise or a genuine preview of a market-shattering product, Calacanis’s statement fundamentally reframes the narrative around the humanoid robot race. For months, Tesla has been perceived by some as playing catch-up to more specialized robotics firms. This claim, from a source with a long-standing relationship with Musk, suggests Tesla might be preparing to pull an iPhone-level reveal on the entire industry. The pressure is now squarely on Elon Musk to demonstrate a robot that does more than just threaten the laundry pile.
